Facebook threatens to sue browser extension creator

ZeroStrawberries

Level 2
Thread author
Mar 7, 2020
82


A developer who created a browser extension designed to help Facebook users reduce their time spent on the platform says that the company responded by banning him and threatening to take legal action.

Louis Barclay says he created Unfollow Everything to help people enjoy Facebook more, not less. His extension, which no longer exists, allowed users to automatically unfollow everybody on their FB account, thus eliminating the newsfeed feature, one of the more odious, addictive parts of the company’s product. The feed, which allows for an endless barrage of targeted advertising, is powered by follows, not friends, so even without it, users can still visit the profiles they want to and navigate the site like normal.
The purpose of bucking the feed, Barclay says, was to allow users to enjoy the platform in a more balanced, targeted fashion, rather than being blindly coerced into constant engagement by Facebook’s algorithms.


How did Facebook reward Barclay for trying to make its user experience less toxic? Well, first it booted him off of all of its platforms—locking him out of his Facebook and Instagram accounts. Then, it sent him a cease and desist letter, threatening legal action if he didn’t shut the browser extension down. Ultimately, Barclay said he was forced to do so, and Unfollow Everything no longer exists. He recently wrote about his experience in an op-ed for Slate, saying:
 

plat

Level 29
Top Poster
Sep 13, 2018
1,793
Well of course, and I bet if strictly up to Facebook, the developer of Unfollow Everything would be drawn, quartered and made to disappear. You just don't mess with Facebook's bottom line, not even a little, you just don't.

This platform sickens me. No end to the hypocrisy and dirty pool.
 

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